Listener Jerry asked for the best free VPNs in Mac Geek Gab 879. We went through a few, including Free VPNs: Proton and ListVPN, and Paid VPNs: NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Paramount+ and Showtime Apple TV Bundle Seems to be Ending
Users are reporting that they are seeing billing issues when trying to pay for their Paramount+ and Showtime Apple TV+ bundle, according to AppleInsider. The suggests that the deal is coming to an end. U.S. users can though get Paramount+ free for a month on Apple TV.
Users on Reddit have reported billing errors, where the usual $9.99 fee for the bundle failed to renew. A check of the subscription in their account shows the bundle as “expired,” and non-accessible. In one case, a customer contacted Apple support and was informed their card was declined. However, on checking with their bank, it seems the payment was sent through, then Apple refunded it. Another Reddit user was informed by a senior supervisor of Apple’s support that it was a “special offer for 1 year” rather than a permanent bundle.
Fixing A Corrupted Spotlight App Launcher
Check out this potential fix for a crashing Spotlight on Your Apple Device from Mac Geek Gab 880.
SteerMouse: Mouse and Trackpad Functionality
Have you heard of SteerMouse? Control Your Mouse and Trackpad Functionality. Want to learn more? Watch the full discussion in Mac Geek Gab 881.
T-Mobile Test Drive
Have You Heard Of T-Mobile’s Test Drive? Through the Network Test Drive app on iOS, you can test the T-Mobile network for free for up to 30 days or 30GB of LTE data, whichever comes first. You won’t leave your current carrier and you won’t lose your existing phone number. Listen to the video below and learn more here
The Speck Presidio Perfect Clear iPhone Case: Should You Be Protecting Your iPhone Lens?
Protect Your iPhone and its camera with the Speck Presidio Perfect Clear iPhone Case. This and more from Mac Geek Gab 879.
Scheduling Do Not Disturb for macOS
A Quick Tip from Mac Geek Gab 880: Scheduling Do Not Disturb can help re-enable it on macOS so you don’t forget.
New Public Sculpture Coming to Apple Park Visitor’s Center
There’s a new public sculpture coming to the Apple Park Visitor’s Center. It is called ‘Mirage’ and will be created by Katie Paterson and Zeller Moye. Ms. Paterson described the work, which will be installed next year, in a blog post:
Mirage blends art, architecture, science and nature. It will have strong material presence, connecting to the elements. Social and connective, it will create an unexpected gathering place for visitors and staff. The glass columns are glimpsed through the trees from the Visitor Center, the highway and beyond, generating a sense of discovery.
[Image credit: Katie Paterson and Zeller & Moye]
Researchers Hid Malware Inside an AI’s Brain
This is straight out of a sci-fi novel. Researchers created a proof-of-concept technique that let them hide malware inside of an AI’s neurons to avoid detection.
According to the paper, in this approach the malware is “disassembled” when embedded into the network’s neurons, and assembled into functioning malware by a malicious receiver program that can also be used to download the poisoned model via an update. The malware can still be stopped if the target device verifies the model before launching it, according to the paper. It can also be detected using “traditional methods” like static and dynamic analysis.
Patent Suggests AR Functions Coming to iPhone Measure App
Apple is looking to incorporate AR technology into the iPhone’s Measure app in a bid to improve accuracy and allow automatic annotation of the object you’re interested in. That’s according to a new patent, seen by AppleInsider.
In future, pointing your iPhone camera at an object could automatically get you an on-screen notification of its measurements. It will do it through AR, and it will do it in part through Machine Learning on different types of objects. “Automatic measurements based on object classification,” is a newly-revealed patent application. It’s concerned with how to determine which object you’re interested in, then how measure it accurately. The patent application is particularly broad, including “devices, systems, and methods that obtain a three-dimensional (3D) representation of a physical environment.” The detail generated is based on a whole series of different sensors and measurements to do with “depth data and light intensity image data.”
Catholic Publication Used Location Data Against a Priest
Catholic media publication The Pillar used location data from gay dating app Grindr to track the movements of a priest, then publicly outed him for “improper behavior.”
It wasn’t clear who had collected the information about Burrill. USCCB spokespeople declined to answer questions Tuesday about what it knew about the information-gathering and what its leadership feels about it, except to say the USCCB wasn’t involved. They also declined to comment on whether they knew if Burrill’s alleged actions were tracked on a private or church-owned phone.
This is a good example of how our data can be used against us, and not just by advertisers.
Akamai DNS Outage Took Out Airbnb, LastPass, Steam, UPS, FedEx, Others
Akamai’s Edge DNS service experienced an issue at around 11AM ET with dozens of websites and apps getting knocked offline. At the time of this writing the outage has been resolved.
Akamai said it was “actively investigating the issue,” but when reached a spokesperson would not say if its outage was the cause of the disruption to other sites and services that are currently offline. Akamai would not say what caused the issue but that it was already in recovery.
HBO Shuts Down Apple TV Channel, Forcing Move to HBO Max
HBO shut down its Apple TV channel on Thursday, meaning users have to move to HBO Max. However, MacRumors reported that there are also login issues.
Simultaneously, as HBO shuts down its Apple TV channel, several users are reporting across social media that HBO has removed the ability within its HBO Max app to sign in with an Apple ID account. Users who were previously signed up to HBO via the Apple TV channel had done so through their Apple ID. Now, with the channel shut down and the ability to sign in with an Apple ID missing, some users are locked out from their accounts until further notice.
FCC Increases Enforcement Efforts Against Right to Repair Violations
On Wednesday the FCC voted to increase law enforcement efforts against violations of Right to Repair laws.
The policy statement adopted today is aimed at manufacturers’ practices that make it extremely difficult for purchasers to repair their products or shop around for other service providers to do it for them. By enforcing against restrictions that violate antitrust or consumer protection laws, the Commission is taking important steps to restore the right to repair.
UK Man Joseph O’Connor Arrested for Hacking Apple’s Twitter Account
Joseph O’Connor, also known as “PlugWalkJoe” has been arrested for hacking Apple’s Twitter account in 2020. He also faces charges for “takeovers of TikTok and Snapchat user accounts.”
O’Connor openly identified himself as “PlugWalkJoe” and confirmed that the hackers had obtained Twitter credentials to take over the accounts via an internal company Slack. At the time, O’Connor was fairly bullish about his involvement and apparent safety, “They can come arrest me. I would laugh at them. I haven’t done anything,” he told the Times.
He had also compromised the Twitter accounts of Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, President Joe Biden, and a few others.
Audio App ‘Clubhouse’ Exits Beta With Over 10 Million Users
Clubhouse, the invite-only social audio platform, has exited beta on Wednesday. The new release is out today on iOS and Android and updates with appear every 1-2 weeks.
This means we have removed our waitlist system so that anyone can join. If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you are a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on. If you’re hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you like.
The A15 Chip Would be a Big Boost For The iPad Mini
Rumors abound a new iPad mini, and a new version could contain the top-end A15 chip. I’m still not convinced as to where in the device sits in Apple’s product line. On the other hand, Oliver Haslam at iMore thinks it would make it stand out.
Traditionally, Apple’s iPhones get the latest and greatest silicon before it trickles down to other devices. We don’t yet know when the new iPad mini could go on sale, but even if it’s after iPhone 13 it is unlikely to be by much — assuming a 2021 release is in the cards, of course. The thought of an iPad mini shipping with the hot new processor is an intriguing one — and it will be a statement of intent for Apple. No longer will iPad mini be the also-ran. A tablet that exists just because it can. It’ll be a genuinely good iPad, especially for taking notes and whatnot.
Tumblr Debuts ‘Post+’ Plan for Creators to Make Money
Tumblr has launched a subscription plan in beta called Post+. It’s a way to help creators make money by letting them charge for blogging access.
As a creator you’ll set up an account for payments in a quick and easy process. You’ll then be able to make a +Post (a post with a paywall), only viewable to you and your supporters. You’ll also be able to offer supporter-exclusive perks.
As a supporter, you’ll back the creators you love with a monthly subscription, giving you access to exclusive content and perks.
A Glimpse Into the World of Mobile Advertising IDs and Their Use
Motherboard gives us a brief look into mobile advertising IDs (MAIDS) and how they can be used to unmask your identity.
All BIGDBM USA data assets are connected to each other,” Mack added, explaining that MAIDs are linked to full name, physical address, and their phone, email address, and IP address if available. The dataset also includes other information.
Worried if You Were Infected by Pegasus? This Tool Can Help
This week, a strain of malware known as Pegasus from NSO Group has been making headlines. It’s used by governments to target journalists, activists, and other people deemed dissidents. But there is a tool that could detect it.
MVT will let you take an entire iPhone backup (or a full system dump if you jailbreak your phone) and feed in for any indicators of compromise (IOCs) known to be used by NSO to deliver Pegasus, such as domain names used in NSO’s infrastructure that might be sent by text message or email.
Instagram Launches Control for Viewing Sensitive Content
Instagram has launched a Sensitive Content Control feature for content that appears in the Explore tab.
This new feature gives you control over sensitive content. You can decide to leave things as they are or you can adjust the Sensitive Content Control to see more or less of some types of sensitive content. We recognize that everybody has different preferences for what they want to see in Explore, and this control will give people more choice over what they see.
No, But Really, Don't Use Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfectants to Clean Apple Products
Apple has updated a support document, reminding users not to clean their products Hydrogen Peroxide disinfectants, MacRumors spotted. This includes using things likes Lysol, although there are alternative solutions that are safe to use.
Apple has confirmed it is okay to use a 75% ethyl alcohol wipe to disinfect products…Apple says to avoid getting moisture in any opening when disinfecting products, and warns against submerging an Apple product in any cleaning agents, as liquid damage is not covered by Apple’s standard warranty.
Hackers Leak ‘Humana’ Data of Over 6,000 Patients
An SQL database containing what appears to be highly sensitive health insurance data of more than 6,000 patients has been leaked on a hacker forum.
The author of the post claims that the data was acquired from US insurance giant Humana and includes detailed medical records of the company’s health plan members dating back to 2019. The leaked information includes patients’ names, IDs, email addresses, password hashes, Medicare Advantage Plan listings, medical treatment data, and more.
Jason Sudeikis on *That* Sweatshirt Supporting Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka
At the recent premiere for Ted Lasso season two, the star’s show, Jason Sudeikis, wore an eye-catching sweatshirt (pictured above, alongside Tim Cook). It bore the words ‘Jadon & Marcus & Bukayo’ – the names of the three England players who suffered a deluge of racist abuse after missing penalties in the European Championship final. He told British Vogue how it all came about.
Sudeikis’s appearance at the Ted Lasso premiere underlined the fact that the groundswell of support for Saka, Rashford and Sancho extended well beyond the UK. The actor had the top made himself, he tells British Vogue. “The idea struck me the day before our show’s premiere,” says Sudeikis. “I just felt it was necessary to use the platform of our big, fancy ‘worldwide premiere’ to try and personify our show’s support of those three young men,” he says. “Which is why I chose to put their three first names on the sweatshirt. The names their parents gave them.”